Loving You Too Long

Nathan sneered, “Who’s jealous of whom?” he asked his mother.

“Isn’t it amusing to think that I would be jealous of Haisley?” his mother replied nonchalantly, taking another sip of her drink. Nathan raised an eyebrow, deliberately mocking his mother.

“Mommy is puzzled by what both of you are thinking, you and your father,” he said bluntly. The woman walked away from the kitchen and approached Nathan.

“Business, right? Why involve marriage?” she said mockingly.

“Mutual symbiosis?” Nathan replied foolishly. His mother burst into laughter.

“What mutual symbiosis? Can you really endure a woman you don’t love? What about intimacy? Can you be intimate with a woman you don’t desire? Or do you fantasize about another woman while you crush her in bed?” His mother sneered. “Yes, considering men can have sex with any woman without love, I suppose you can do it. After all, the woman you marry will just be a baby factory to carry on your legacy, won’t she?”

“Mommy ,” Nathan interjected, feeling his ears burning from his mother’s overly vulgar words.

“What’s wrong with what Mommy said?” she asked challengingly. “Nathan, listen to Mommy . If you want to be trapped in a marriage with a woman you don’t love, why don’t you trap yourself with Haisley? At least Haisley is much better than your chosen woman because we know her and her family for a lifetime. We know her virtues and flaws. But Loretta?”

“There’s nothing wrong with her. She’s beautiful and educated. Her family is certainly not one to be underestimated.”

His mother snorted again. “So you choose her because she’s wealthy?” she asked mockingly. “What about comfort and living abundantly with love?” she challenged. “Life isn’t about how extensive your business roots are. It’s not about how many zeros are in your bank account. It’s not about how many business connections you have.

“Life is about comfort.

“It’s useless to have many businesses if you don’t have time for yourself and your happiness. It’s useless to have a lot of savings if here,” she pointed to Nathan’s heart, “you feel emptiness and loneliness. It’s useless to have many business relations because when you’re sick, no one will sincerely take care of you except your family. Your wife and your children.

“She, Loretta, whom you claim comes from a wealthy and prosperous background. Dignified and educated, ask her, will she really be with you in your poverty, sickness, and hardship?

“Don’t bother asking her if she’ll be with you when you’re rich because your wealth will be her pleasure and happiness, that’s for sure. Because everyone, whether you know them or not, will be there when you’re in that position. But she, they, might not be willing to accept all your shortcomings, your poverty, your pain when it all happens to you.

“She, who is used to eating with a golden spoon, will never accept a wooden spoon, let alone one that’s covered in mold. And you. Don’t be arrogant because of your current situation. Your wealth, your success, it’s all entirely your hard work. But God is fair, if He does this,” the woman snapped her fingers. “And says that everything you own must be gone, what do you have left? Nothing, except the love of someone who, of course, loves you sincerely and unconditionally.”

“Bullshit with love. Such things only exist in fairy tales read by teenagers,” he scoffed.NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

Mrs. Monica raised the corner of her mouth. “Is that so?” she asked challengingly. “Then why don’t you use that intelligent brain of yours to think? Try talking to your heart about what you’re currently experiencing. About Haisley,” she said meaningfully. “Ask yourself what feelings you have for that little girl right now. Is it love? Obsession? Or pure greed? Because from what I can see in the way you look at her, it’s clearly not hatred. Nor is it greed.”

“You might not want to admit it because of your inflated ego. But if you truly reflect on what you feel, you’ll realize that you’ve already anchored your emotions onto that little girl.

You even foolishly envy your own half-sister just because she pays more attention to Haisley. The truth is, you neglect the girl you claim will be your ‘future wife’ and blame Haisley for your foolishness.”

“You are smart in academics, but you are stupid about your feelings.

“You think Mommy can’t see how you keep your distance from Loretta? But you did things differently to Haisley. Why? Are your hands itching to touch it? Your lips want to kiss her? Or maybe,” his mother pointed at Nathaniel’s lower body. “Your junior can’t help but want to find a nest to hide in?” she asked mockingly. “I know more about life than you, I know what passion is and I know when I see people feel it. Because I’ve experienced it myself, darling.” She said, chuckling as she patted Nathan’s cheek mockingly.

Mrs. Monica then walked away, leaving Nathan standing stiffly in his place with his hands clenched in anger.

“Think again, at least with Haisley you know that you will be loved and your body knows how to react.” She said with a wink and walked away.

Unlucky! Nathan cursed again to himself. How could that woman know everything so thoroughly in such a short time?

Nathan rushed into his room and closed the door roughly. He doesn’t care if he wakes people up.

For God’s sake! All of this is because of Haisley.

***

The morning hubbub reluctantly forced Nathan to open his eyes. After his unpleasant conversation with his mother the previous night, which he couldn’t admit was enjoyable, Nathan had trouble sleeping. He had managed to close his eyes for only an hour or two before sunrise, and now he felt a headache creeping in. Especially with the disturbances he heard coming from the kitchen, not far from his room.

Nathan roughly kicked off his blanket and stumbled toward the bathroom. He washed his face and brushed his teeth without bothering to change his clothes. He opened the door and was quite surprised by the scene before him. His mother, father, and Gilbert were sitting around the dining table while Haisley was busy with cooking utensils alongside Aunt Jody.

“What are you all fussing about this early in the morning?” Nathan complained to his family.